Two hawks from different species procreate a rare hybrid bird

In a recent study, the researchers in Sonoma County have observed two distant hawk species reproduce a new hybrid offspring. The species of Hawks were not just different but also belonged to two different generations as well. As per reports, the researchers said that the hawk pairing was more similar to a house cat partnering with a jaguar, or a human with a gorilla.

The hybrid offspring

The incident took place near the Laguna de Santa Rosa Wetlands, California, where several bird researchers had spent years keeping a track of the social interactions of a visiting common black hawk and the population of red-shouldered hawks.
According to reports, the researchers are still perplexed as to how can a common black hawk arrive in the region, as it does not belong to the region and is native to South and Central America. In very rare cases, the species have been found in the American southwest and southern Nevada.

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The researchers first spotted the common black hawk and red-shouldered hawk mating in 2014, and later found that they had produced a new hybrid nestling. As per reports, it has been found that the physical characteristics of the new hybrid hawk are similar to both species of hawks, but researchers have not yet been successful to take a blood sample of the two species of hawks to examine and understand its genetic makeup.

A rare incident

The scientists had earlier observed the two species socializing over the years but were stunned to find that they had mated and produced a hybrid chick. Elucidating about it further, one of the researchers, Jennifer Coulson from Tulan University reportedly said that such kind of scenarios do not happen often and especially not in predators.

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Common black hawks and red-shouldered hawks might appear similar, but in reality, each comes from a different genes background, the biological category is one step above species. While it's completely natural for the member of different species to mate and produce a new hybrid offspring, but this process generally happens between species which has a close genetic relationship, like coyotes and wolves or polar bears and grizzly bears.

(Image credit: Pixabay)